Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-15

dow OF one Of the coaches that had landed
against the stone wall, and set to work to
felease those persons who had been
pinned down by broken timbers.
HEROIC WORK.
Mr. Lennon, with his AK, released four
men who were badly hurt, and handed
tDem out OF the'window to other men who
had come to the rescue. He also handed
out the bodies of two dead women, one of
whom was nearly decapitated and had
ootn arms severed from her body. During
all lnis tlme MIR. Lennon says the shrieks
OF the wounded and the groans of the dy-
ing made pandemouium around him. In
the meantime other passengers from
coaches that had remained on top of the
emOankment, and who had escaped Sc
rlous INJURY, had joined in the work of
rescue. In short time a corps of rescu-
ers ana surgeons were at the scene.
LAID IN ROW.
AS the dead were removed they were
lald In row on the stone wall, while the
wounded were laid on cushions which
were hastily gathered together. Ambu-
Iances and hacks mad been sent from the
city within halt an hour after the disaster
occurred, and as these conveyances
feached the scene they were at once
started back to the city laden with dead,
destined for the hospital. A large mum berof
injured were also taken to residences in
the vicinity, while others were sent to the
depots at Forest Hill and Roslindale.
Those passengers who escaped serious IT,
jury aud were able to proceed were
taken TO the junction of Forest Hill and
then forwarded to their destination in the
city proper.
THRILLING STORY.
George Sanford, of Rosllndale, was in
the second car of the wrecked train. He
told thrilling story of his experience.
lie said: 81 took the train at Roslindale
with my mother. We were sitting in the
middle OF the second car. There was alb
solutely nothing to give premonition of
the disaster. All at once there was a
crash, deafening noise, a moment or
Two OF grounding of timbers and then for
a moment all was still. Ithad come with
such awful suddenness that everybody
seemed to be paralyzed. Then arose a
confusion OF sounds from the wrecked
cars below. Voices were calling out for
help, women Were screaming for aid,
while all around us there were groans
from those who were badly hurt or dying.
PIERCED BY sPLINTERs.
1.-The floor of the Car seemed 20 be forced
uD TO the roof, our entire coach having
collapsed apparently. When the crash
came our heads were banged against the
roof, while the seats were strewn about
everywhere. Many people were under
seats and some were crushed between
them. Directly in front of us sat a man
named Ryan, one of my neighbors in Ros-
lindaie. We were cOnversing with him al
the moment of the crash. Ryan was half
turned in his seat as he talked,
and a moment after the wreck,
when l saw him again, he
was actually run through and through
by splinters from the bottom Of the car.
My mother and 1 were fastened in be
tween our seat and RVan's, but L man
aged to break off Ryan's seat and release
ourselves. My mother had tainted, and
at first thought she was dead. l pulled
her cut through window and she soon
revived in the open air.
HORRIBLE SIGHTS.
81 then secured carriage and sent her
home and devoted myself to helping re-
lease other passen gers. The sight among
the debris was horrible. There were
many people dead, pinned down by tim
bers, many wounded and all were horri-
bly, mangled. [ saw one man working
like Trojan to help others. Thektop OF
his scalp and his left ear were
nearly torn from his head and he
was covered with blood, but he
did not realize it. After all
had been removed from the car he was
working In some one told him that he
must be badly hurt himself. He said he
thought not; that he had only received a
scratch. He put his hand to his head,
and the next moment tainted away, and
was conveyed to a neighboring house.
He was pretty badly hurt. The train was
running at good speed, but had slowed up
some as it neared the junction at Forest
Hill. The quickness with which the
crash came was remarkable. 1t came in
sn instant, like flash OF lightning.
THE LIST STILL INCOMPLETE.
1t has been Impossible up to this even
ing to obtain a correct and complete
list OF the killed and wounded, owing to
the fact that Immediately after the catas-
trophe it's victims were hastily removed
from the scene and in such widely diverse
directions that it IS extremely difficult to
trace them all correctly. Some Of the in-
jured were at once conveyed to their
homes, others were taken to hos pitals,
while Others still found temporary
shelter in residences in the
immediate neignborhood. Some OF
the dead, majority of them
in fact, we're brought 10 the City Hospital
m0rgue, hut there were others taken to
the dppots OF R0Siindae, Forest Hill and
Canterbury. The agents OF the railroad
company are now diligently at work en-
deayOring TO com pile complete statistics
of the caiamity, and full list OF the cas-
ualties will doubtless be furnished at the
earliest pra racticable moment. All day a
large and efficient corps OF surgeons has
been at work attending the injured, who
are more numer us than was at ilrst re-
ported, 1t now being estimated that nearly
seventy persons received severe wounds.
OF these 10 is said number will probably
die.
THE WRECKED BRIDGE.
A curious feature OF the disaster is
found in the fact tnat the entire bridge
went down with the wreck. Not scrap
of from remained attached to the ahut-
ments, and but tor the chasm and awful
wreck beneath there was nothing TO indl-
cate that bridge had once spanned the
abyss. The wreck ot the bridge lay un-
der the debris of the train almost COM
pletely shut out from view. Lying by the
side OF one Of the splintered cars was one
of the main iron girders Of the bridge,
through its entire breadth at the point of
junction OF two OF its parts. This girder
was composed of two parallel plates of
heavy wrought iron, connected by
braces OF wrought iron, and the whsle
securely bolted. The opinion is generally
expressed by those who have personally
inspected the wreck that the breaking Of
this girtier was the uudoubted cause of